How to Plan an Itinerary for Official Delegations at Your Event
Planning an itinerary for official delegations (DO) at your event can be a daunting task. The key challenge is to maximize the satisfaction of both exhibitors and DOs within a limited time on-site. Let’s dive into a step-by-step guide to ensure a seamless and productive experience for everyone involved.
N°1: Identifying the Problem
How to maximize the satisfaction of exhibitors and official delegations with limited on-site time?
When official delegations visit an event, their time is precious. Exhibitors want to make meaningful connections without feeling rushed, and DOs need to meet with the right exhibitors to make their visit worthwhile. The challenge lies in balancing these needs to create a win-win situation for both parties.
N°2: The Solution
Implementing an Information System for Real-Time Data Collection, Planning, and Communication
To tackle this problem, you need an information system that allows for real-time data collection, planning, and communication. Here’s how you can use such a system effectively:
Step 1: Qualify the Needs of Exhibitors and Official Delegations to Find Matching Points
For Exhibitors:
- Qualify their needs in terms of desired or undesired DOs. Criteria could include the type of DO, country of origin, and sector. Ask exhibitors to specify their capacity to host DOs (number of simultaneous DOs), preferred days of presence, and their catering capabilities on the stand.
For Official Delegations:
- Qualify their interests regarding desired or undesired exhibitors. Criteria could include the types of solutions or products they are looking for, the size of the exhibitors (from startups to multinationals), country of origin, and industry sector.
Step 2: Planning the Itinerary for Official Delegations
Once you have the information from both exhibitors and DOs, the organizer (planner) can start creating the initial itineraries for DOs, considering:
- The interests of both parties.
- The number of available time slots for each DO.
- The duration of each meeting, ideally between 20 to 30 minutes.
- Transportation times and arrival schedules of DOs.
- Minimizing walking distance to maximize the number of meetings.
Step 3: Executing the Preliminary Itinerary
Let’s be honest; about 50% of the initial schedules created by the planner will need adjustments. To maximize the success of these itineraries:
- Assign an accompanist for each DO. This person is crucial for ensuring the satisfaction of the DO by providing real-time updates to the planner, such as:
- Daily availability of the DO.
- Completed or missed appointments with reasons.
- Last-minute requests from the DO for specific exhibitors or solutions.
- Logistic needs of the DO from arrival to departure.
For large-scale events, the accompanist should be easily locatable to avoid wasting time and must be able to communicate in real-time with the planner.
Step 4: Managing the Unexpected During the Event
During the event, the planner must handle unforeseen situations such as:
- Cancellation or shortened attendance of a DO.
- Specific requests from DOs communicated through their accompanists.
- Last-minute requests from exhibitors.
- Other internal or external issues affecting the event.
The planner’s ability to provide real-time updates to DOs via their accompanists and exhibitors regarding any itinerary changes is crucial.
N°3: Testimonial
A Day in the Life of a DO at Eurosatory
Discover how Eurosatory, the world’s largest defense and security trade show, uses our solution, VISIT MANAGER, to streamline the visit of official delegations. Our system ensures a smooth, productive, and satisfying experience for both exhibitors and DOs.
N°4: Call to Action
To successfully plan your event itinerary for official delegations:
- Book a Demonstration: See our solution in action.
- Integrate Your Data Sources: Connect all relevant information.
- Training and Support: We train and assist your team to ensure success.
By following these steps and utilizing an efficient information system, you can ensure a well-organized, satisfying experience for both exhibitors and official delegations at your event.